The benefits of Rounding Up

Free clinic among 12 recipients of Operation Round Up grants

February 13, 2012

A free clinic serving the region exemplifies the spirit of cooperation, making it an ideal candidate for an Operation Round Up grant from members of Verendrye Electric Cooperative.

The City and Country Health Clinic was recently awarded a $2,000 grant to help with the care and treatment of people with diabetes, and since 2008, the clinic has received $8,000 in grants from Operation Round Up.

"Operation Round Up is a great program," said Marcella Nelson, the clinic's office manager.

Article Photos

Submitted Photo - - Marcella Nelson, office manager of the City and Country Health Clinic, shows some of the equipment grants from Verendrye Electric’s Operation Round Up helped purchase.

Submitted Photo - - The refrigerator being opened by Marcella Nelson, office manager of the City and Country Health Clinic, holds diabetes medicine that was purchased with Operation Round Up grant money.

The clinic relies on people working together and donating their time and money to help others. The clinic is located in the basement of First Lutheran Church in Minot where the church provides it space rent free. The office has donated carpet and furniture, and many of the supplies are donated. Other than three paid part time employees two nurses and an office manager the clinic utilizes volunteers. The clinic is normally open six or seven days each month and has around a dozen doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who take turns volunteering their time. The volunteers come from Minot, but some of them are medical professionals in small towns who drive up to an hour to volunteer.

"When the whole community works together and pitches in, we've got a clinic," Nelson said. "We get an awful lot done for very few dollars because most things are donated."

The clinic treats people who do not have insurance. Nelson said patients come from Minot and many small towns and rural areas. The word Country in the clinic's name reflects that when it opened 12 years ago, one of its goals was to serve farmers who were struggling financially and did not have insurance.

The clinic does not see a lot of children or elderly patients, because in most cases those groups are able to receive care through state or federal programs.

"This clinic is for people who have no other place to go," Nelson said. Although it is located in a church, the clinic is open to everyone. "First Lutheran Church is happy to provide the space, but we want people to know that this is a community clinic that belongs to everyone." Nelson said.

The clinic is normally open every Monday, some Thursdays and some Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m. If you need to visit the clinic, it is best to call ahead to find out the hours. If you are interested in donating to the clinic, send checks to City and Country Health Clinic, 120-5th Ave. NW, Minot, ND 58701 or call 833-1951 to ask about volunteering.

Other projects

In addition to helping the City and Country Health Clinic, Operation Round Up also recently awarded $5,000 in grants to individuals with extraordinary medical expenses, and funded community projects. Some of the other grants include $2,000 for Dream Catchers, a project to build a special rubberized baseball diamond at Minot's South Hill Softball Complex for handicapped children, $2,000 to the City of Harvey for upgrades to their community movie theater, $2,000 for heating assistance for the needy, $1,000 for teacher supplies for Erik Ramstad Middle School, $1,000 to Minot Catholic Schools for playground equipment, $1,000 for an outdoor learning center in Fessenden, $500 to the Mouse River Community Players, $500 to the Domestic Violence Crisis center and $436 to the Mid-Dakota Chapter of the Red Cross.

Since 1996, Operation Round Up has awarded 766 grants totaling $689,000. For more information about Operation Round Up, contact Verendrye at (800) 472-2141 or go to (www.verendrye.com) to print an application. The deadline for the next applications is April 13.